Hasek leads Hockey Hall of Fame 2014 inductees

by jmaloni

Submitted

Mon, Jun 23rd 2014 08:05 pm

Pat
Quinn, chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame, and John Davidson, chairman of the
Hockey Hall of Fame's selection committee, announced today that four
individuals have been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in the player category.
In addition, one individual was elected in the builder category and one in the
referee or linesman category. The vote took place today at the annual meeting
of the selection committee in Toronto.

"The
Hockey Hall of Fame is proud to welcome these six hockey legends as honored members,"
Davidson said. "Their contributions to the game of hockey are well documented
and their election to the Hockey Hall of Fame is richly deserved."

Goaltender
Dominik Hasek played nine seasons professionally in the Czech League before
joining the Chicago Blackhawks during the 1990-91 season. A six-time Vezina
Trophy winner as the NHL's best goaltender, he also won the Hart Trophy as the
league's MVP in 1997 and 1998 - the first time a goaltender had won that trophy
since Jacques Plante in 1962. He did that as a member of the Buffalo Sabres.
Hasek won the Stanley Cup in Detroit in 2002 and 2008, and also won an Olympic
gold medal in 1998 in Nagano, Japan.

"After
I retired, I really began to appreciate what the game did for me," Hasek said. "My
goal was just to make the NHL, and achieving this recognition is far beyond
what I could have imagined."

Rob
Blake was born in Simcoe, Ontario, and played his college hockey at Bowling
Green State University from 1987-90, where he was a Hobey Baker finalist in his
last season before turning pro with the Los Angeles Kings. He went on to play
20 NHL seasons with three NHL teams, winning the Stanley Cup with Colorado in
2001. A 12-time NHL regular season 40-plus point scorer, Blake is a member of
the IIHF's elite Triple Gold Club, winning a Stanley Cup, Olympic gold medal
and the IIHF World Championship.

"This
is a tremendous honor," Blake said. "I am fortunate to have been around the
game of hockey and have it be a key part of my life for as long as I can
remember."

Swedish
native Peter Forsberg joined the NHL after playing five seasons in the Swedish
Elite league. A first round selection of the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1991
Entry Draft, he played 14 NHL seasons and was the NHL's Rookie of the Year in
1995. A two-time Stanley Cup champion in 1996 and 2001 with Colorado, Forsberg
also won the Hart Trophy in 2003. He won IIHF gold medals in 1992 and 1998, and
the Olympic gold medal in 1994 in Lillehammer, Norway.

"It's
been a good run, and I wouldn't change places with anybody," Forsberg said. "Joining
Borje Salming and Mats Sundin in the Hall of Fame as the third Swedish member
makes it especially gratifying for me."

A
native of Livonia, Michigan, Mike Modano played his Junior hockey with the
Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL, where he was drafted first overall in the
1988 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota North Stars (later Dallas Stars) franchise,
with whom he played 21 of his 22 NHL seasons. Modano holds the NHL record for
most goals (561) and points (1,374) by an American-born player. An Olympic
silver medalist, he also led the Dallas Stars to the Stanley Cup in 1999.

"When
I played, I always hoped that I could make an impact on the game, both on and
off the ice, and this honor recognizes that," Modano said. "I love this game
and, as an American-born player, I owe a lot to the people in Prince Albert who
helped me take my game to the next level."

In
the builder category, Pat Burns was elected. After a 17-year career as a police
officer, Burns coached the Hull Olympiques of the QMJHL for four seasons. From
there, he progressed to the Sherbrooke Canadiens of the AHL in 1987. In 1988,
he began his 14-year NHL coaching career with the Montreal Canadiens - winning
the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's Coach of the Year in his first season. With a
career .573 winning percentage, Burns also won the Stanley Cup with New Jersey
in 2003. He passed away Nov. 19, 2010, in Sherbrooke, Quebec.

"It's
a great day for me and my family," said Lynn Burns (Pat's widow). "I'm
speechless and tremendously happy. Pat would be proud, and this is
well-deserved."

In
the referee and linesman category, Bill McCreary was elected. After playing
Junior A hockey, McCreary joined the NHL in 1984. He officiated 1,700 regular
season NHL games and 282 NHL playoff games before ending his career April 2,
2011, in Washington, D.C. Internationally, Bill worked the 1998 and 2002
Olympics, including the gold medal games at both tournaments.

"I
was fortunate living in Guelph to be encouraged to get into officiating by some
of the NHL greats that were involved in the game there," McCreary said. "Just
as with the players, being in the Stanley Cup Final is the goal of any official,
and I'm pleased that I was able to have that recognition on several occasions."

The
2014 induction celebration will be held Monday, Nov. 17, at the Hockey Hall of
Fame in Toronto. For more information regarding the 2014 induction
weekend/celebration, visit http://www.hhof.com.

Established in 1943, the Hockey Hall of Fame's mandate is to
recognize and honor the achievements of players, builders and officials who
bring special distinction to the game of hockey, and to collect, preserve,
research and exhibit objects, images and resource materials connected with the
game as it is played in Canada and throughout the world.

As a nonprofit corporation and a registered charity under
the Income Tax Act, HHOF
owns and operates a museum and place of entertainment offering state-of-the-art
exhibits, multimedia presentations and educational programming from its premises
at Brookfield Place, Toronto.

Dominik Hasek Bio

Born Jan. 29, 1965, in Pardubice,
Czechoslovakia

Played nine seasons in the Czech League
with Tesla Pardubice (1981-82 to 1988-89) and Dukla Jihlava (1989-90)

Five-time Czechoslovakian Goaltender of
the Year (1986-90), three-time Player of the Year (1987, 1989, 1990), and
three-time First All-Star Team (1988, 1989, 1990)

Drafted 207th overall in the
10th round by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft

Played 1 season in the International
Hockey League with the Indianapolis Ice and was named to the league's First
All-Star Team in 1991

Represented Czechoslovakia at the 1988
Winter Olympics, and the Czech Republic at the 1998, 2002, and 2006 Olympics

Olympic gold medalist 1998 and bronze
medalist 2006

Tied for the all-time lead in most
Olympics participated in by a goaltender with four, and ranks third all-time in
most career Olympic games played by a goaltender with 16; ranks fifth all-time
in most career Olympic minutes played by a goaltender with 835:17

Named the Best Goaltender at the 1998
Winter Olympic Games

Player No. 39 scheduled to be retired
by Buffalo Sabres during 2014-15 NHL season

Announced his NHL retirement June 9,
2008, and official retirement from playing Oct. 9, 2012